While offering coaching tips to President Joe Biden, which sounded like a plea aimed at White House staffers to shorten his leash, former defense secretary Leon Panetta had a unique and laughable take on the gaffe-tastic tour of Poland suggesting Biden couldn’t help it, because “he’s Irish.”
The tug-of-war over controlling the narrative continued between Biden and his team following his remarks that hinted at U.S. troop deployment against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and regime change to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House put out declarative statements to defend against that narrative while Biden denied saying anything of the sort.
Meanwhile, Democrat surrogates like Panetta made the rounds trying to smooth out the edges of this public relations debacle. Having previously served as part of President Barack Obama’s administration with Biden, the former SecDef focused on the empathy he saw the president attempting to express.
“I can understand his emotional feel about Putin not staying in office,” Panetta told Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s “Newsroom.” “I think a lot of people would probably agree with that.”
“But at this point in the game, you really have to keep your messages very simple and very direct,” he added in a way that supports why Biden is so frequently rushed out of press conferences without answering questions, “and I think this created some confusion that wasn’t helpful.”
The typical narrative lines took a wild detour when Panetta insisted Biden’s heritage was to blame for the potentially devastating missteps in foreign policy. “I happen to think that Joe Biden, you know, he’s Irish,” the former SecDef said as Camerota blinked incredulously to the assertion, “really has a great deal of compassion when he sees that people are suffering.”
“And I think it overwhelmed him in the sense of seeing all of the horrors that were resulting from this war. So, you know, from a personal point of view, I understand why he said it. But at the same time, when you’re President of the United States, you just have to be disciplined to make sure you don’t make comments that ultimately have to be clarified by the White House,” Panetta concluded.
The Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Lubold relayed this declaration on social media without comment and let the denizens of Twitter have their way with the abysmal excuse for something that could have very serious and lasting consequences.
Why did you send a CIA hit squad to decapitate Russia?
"Because I am a sensitive man."
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) March 28, 2022
In addition to the Washington Examiner’s Seth Mandel musing that assassins could now be dispatched on the grounds of being “a sensitive man,” New Republic associate editor Matt Ford offered, “Our Irish-descent president simply cannot tame his reckless Celtic passions, claimed the former secretary of defense.”
New “epigenetic trauma is a mainstream smart person concept” data point just dropped https://t.co/m0kxgeRY9C
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) March 28, 2022
Joe Gabriel Simonson from the Washington Free Beacon mused that a new ancestral victimhood was being born before our eyes tweeting, “New ‘epigenetic trauma is a mainstream smart person concept’ data point just dropped.”
Others joined the chorus pointing out the absurdity of the statement and the unchecked stereotype that CNN permitted Panetta to foist upon an entire nation of people.
Damned Irish.
That explains Putin wanting regime change in Ukraine he is obviously related to the MacPutin’s from Co Galway or the Poitin’s those famous distillers who invented vodka for the vikings.
— Dubliner1 (@Dubliner112) March 28, 2022
I’d like to hear Panetta pontificate about his views on the pre-dispositions of a wider range of ethnic groups.
— Robert Stein (@BobStein_FT) March 28, 2022
This is insulting to any culture. Another representation of offending people it’s acceptable to offend
— Minor Incursion Fredo (@True_Fredo) March 28, 2022
One of the more telling remarks not only highlighted the offense from Panetta, but managed to point out the glaringly obvious reality that with decades of public service, Biden should be well versed in tempering his emotion. This is indicative of a far more troubling issue.
I'm Irish & I take offense to Leon Panetta blaming Biden's gaffe on his Irish side. That's B.S. Biden's been in Washington for almost FIFTY YEARS & HE'S AN IDIOT WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING! If his intention is to ruin this country, he's definitely succeeding!
— DEMOCRATS ARE THE ENEMIES OF DEMOCRACY! (@IceQueen4Justic) March 29, 2022
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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